<p>These kids get the messages from their parents. I see it here all the time. It doesn’t come out of thin air.</p>
<p>While I agree that this party is in bad taste, I am also inclinded to agree that the world has gone a bit too far in the quest for political correctness. (Am I actually agreeing with HH?? Whoa…) As we see over and over and over again in posts on CC, there is a fine line between what is funny and what is inappropriate. What is amusing to some is rude or mocking to others. Case in point some of the superbowl commercials that got yanked and required apologies. Should we have banned the “Revenge of the Nerds” movies because they made fun of nerds (or perhaps because they were just bad movies 
and yes I realize the nerds were the “heroes” in the movie, but it still made fun of them). Does anyone remember “tacky parties” (my H wore an orange polyester jacket with searsucker pants, and they served those marshmallow snowball things on toothpicks). Were these parties offensive to the poor class of people with no taste? Should we ban slapstick physical comedy because it might offend the class of people with motor coordination problems? Where is that line drawn? I just think that poking fun at, and making fun of… are not always the same thing.</p>
<p>Oh, I totally agree with that Jym. I actually think the PC culture has run a bit amuck in schools myself, but I still choose diversity education over no diversity education.</p>
<p>I don’t know where to draw the line, but I do know bigotry and racism when I see it. And an orange polyester jacket isn’t that! ;)</p>
<p>I think the difference is when the point of the humor is dependent on ethnicity or gender. How would you feel about a party where all the girls had to dress as Playboy bunnies, prostitutes or cleaning ladies? Wouldn’t you feel that it was pretty sexist? I know I would, and I’m a housewife!</p>
<p>Bad taste in clothing or the need for pocket protectors is not related to skin color or ethnic background.</p>
<p>Absolutely, sjmom. I think that defines the difference succinctly. And let me add, bad taste in clothes is not limited to low income people–tackiness is class-free!</p>
<p>And wealth is not the exclusive provenance of class.</p>
<p>I see your point, but if this were the major delineation, then would all Mel Brooks movies be considered to be mocking, not funny?</p>
<p>This may be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t think that something is de facto considered offensive just because someone is offended.</p>
<p>Ok-- little poll-- is this funny or offensive??</p>
<p>A large company instituted a policy of requiring a certain # of hours of diversity training for all its employees. At their holiday party they had an African dance troupe as part of their entertainment. Someone quietly asked (whispered, kiddingly) if this counted towards their hours of diversity training. OK-- is this
A) Funny
B) Insensitive but funny
C) Harshly sarcastic and not funny
D) Totally and completely offensive and out of line and the person should be fired
E) The person should be sent to an Alcohol recovery program and forgiven (perhaps drank too much at the holiday party and was disinhibited)
F) Other (you fill in the comment)</p>
<p>Well, I just think it’s funny. I don’t see that anyone is making fun of African dance troupes, just of diversity training.</p>
<p>I agree with sjmom. It wouldn’t be a good management practice for the CEO to say that where everyone could hear, but from one colleague to another? Totally fine.</p>
<p>I don’t think the party was held as a statement against pc. What I have seen in the last few years is a host of bad theme parties put on by the high school, college age group. I don’t get it. Smart kids who have been raised better and for the most part would not consider themselves racist.
Some of the themes I have heard are down right degrading to females. How about the popular theme of pimps and hoes. I heard of one being themed as a After sex party which I heard that the females dressed in items found from Victoria Secret and most of the males didn’t dress up at all. The trailer trash party. Ken and Barbie where the girls barely wear much.
I have seen many young people who supposedly think globally but don’t act locally. They don’t see the connection between those parties and race. They just see it as a chance to drink and have “fun”.</p>
<p>To give another example (piggy backing on the beef of the week about the class divide in an elite school). </p>
<p>If a group of wealthy students at this same school gave a “back woods” party and said every one come dressed as rednecks, trailer trash, poor white trash, and people making jokes that their bf or gf is also their first cousin, and other not very nice generalizations, or perceptions that people have about people that live in rural, southern, or poorer areas of the country. Would we still take a poo-poo stance and say kids are just being kids.</p>
<p>What about if the group that decided to hold the backwoods party was of a different racial group, would we still be so quick to say that some people need to get a grip and are being too PC.</p>
<p>There is an adage that you should live your life as if anything you do would appear on the front page of the paper. </p>
<p>If your child’s picture appeared on the front page of the paper as a person participating on or throwing the gansta, south of the border, backwoods or whatever else kind of party would you be quick to get a couple of prints and send them out to the relatives with note about the wonderful time little eggbert is having at college?</p>
<p>Would you hold your head up high when asked about it at the PTA meeting or on the job? </p>
<p>Would you be quick to call little eggbert to say "hey I really like the activities that you are participating in (but hey, I know out little eggbert would never do such a thing).</p>
<p>I threw a tacky party in the 80’s…tight shiny spandex pants, tight spandex top and Candies shoes. ( I’m usually a Pappagallo type of girl, so this was quite a departure). Alot of the guests (we were in our late 20’s) wore things from their parents’ closets that they usually wore to the country club…anyone can be tacky…haha!</p>
<p>jym626</p>
<p>To answer your question…I’d have to say F) other. I think there needs to be a category for ‘insensitive and lame’ since I think the employee’s comment was uncalled for and plainly just not funny. </p>
<p>Firing…depends. If the employee acts in a overtly bigoted way toward minority employees and is in a position to impede the success of minorities at that company; most definitely…fire that person. If the employee makes minority peers uncomfortable with his or her attitude; one warning and one chance to rehabilitate, then a firing is in order. </p>
<p>Sorry…I just don’t think this sort of attitude is appropriate or should be tolerated. Everyone is free to be a jerk; and those who don’t like it are free to make the jerk pay.</p>
<p>I agree with ldmom’s assessment as just by that employee’s comments another employee could say that s/he feels those same comments are contributing to a hostile work environment making them feel uncomfortable then taking the issue to HR, their manager, request an open door, etc.</p>
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<p>Don’t remember who said this upthread, but those are the kinds of words that parents often end up eating… 
“Not my child…”</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Appently the hundreds of thousands of college age girls who dressed up at Halloween as “naughty nurses,” etc. felt just fine about it.</p>
<p>Come on people, weren’t you ever young once? Didn’t you ever do anything stupid that you now regret and know was insensitive or mean? I don’t think these kids are going to grow up to don KKK outfits or patrol the borders as Minutemen. They just had a party.</p>
<p>See, this is so interesting. Two votes for “funny”, two votes for “might need to fire the insensitive jerk”. What is funny to one is insensitive/intolerant/ignorant or possibly intolerant to another. And this is less flagrant than the range of stuff that hits the newspapers (like companies where people hange nooses, put up nudie pin-up calendars etc.) </p>
<p>I heard a story about a manager who was trying to deal with an employee who had an alcohol problem. This employee had apparently been put on an action plan (had been in denial abouth the alcohol problem and its effects on work performance and attendance, amongst other things…). Anyway, then the employee went to HR and said he was a member of a protected class because he was 1/8 American Indian. The managers were advised to be careful not to use the words “Alcohol” and “American Indian” in the same sentence.</p>
<p>*** Also, to clarify, it was not known that he had an alcohol problem when he was put on the action plan. He was put on it purely for poor work, attendance, etc. The alcohol issue came to light later.</p>
<h2>"Don’t remember who said this upthread, but those are the kinds of words that parents often end up eating… ‘Not my child…’ "</h2>
<p>I said it Ag. And given that my daughter is Hispanic…I think I can safely say “Not my child.” </p>
<p>Not to mention that because I grew up in the Rio Grande Valley and saw with my own eyes how hard immigrants work to provide for their families; I would hope my husband and I have successfully instilled in my children RESPECT for those who choose to put on the rubber gloves and clean a toilet or mow grass or haul garbage or do any job rather than take a welfare check.</p>
<p>Again…let me clarify my position. Those partying college kids or jym’s employee have the freedom to do or say what they want. BUT, they cannot force others, such as employers, faculty, coworkers or peers, to like it or view it as socially acceptable. </p>
<p>Sorry about that.</p>
<p>Perhaps your daughter won’t do this exact thing, but chances are all of our children will do something cringeworthy and moronic while they are in college.</p>
<p>It sometimes drives me crazy to read the intolerance on this board written by all of the enlightened people. Enlightenment often comes with age and maturity.</p>
<p>I daresay that most if not all of us would have had some embarrassing pictures posted on “Facebook” if it had been around back when we were in college. I can honestly admit that I would. I’m not and never have been perfect, just close ;)</p>